


Just friends (because that's what I've been told)

by GinnyBadWolf



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF
Genre: Angst, Angst and Fluff, Fluff, Getting Together, I'm so glad I finally wrote this, Lindsay is a Queen and is treated like the Queen she is, M/M, Massive gay freakout, Some character study I guess, Unrequited Love, lots of gay, read this if you want to feel happy for a time in your life maybe, the story where it all turns out nice I guess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-06
Updated: 2016-09-06
Packaged: 2018-08-13 08:08:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7968937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GinnyBadWolf/pseuds/GinnyBadWolf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Michael and Gavin are just friends, despite what a lot of fans might have to say about that matter. Michael and Lindsay are married, and in love. These are the facts of Michael's life, true in every word. Michael has made the right choices, picked the right person to love. That is for certain. </p><p>Right?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Just friends (because that's what I've been told)

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry if the lead-up is a little lacking, but I just really wanted to get to the good parts and never thought about anything that maybe should happen before the first scene to establish Michael's feelings and some context. But alas, I am too lazy and uncreative to write such a thing. So know that the will is there, just not the substance.
> 
> Anyway, hope you enjoy!

**RT Extra Life Event - Friday, December 16th, 11:37 PM, 2016**

 

Michael laughs and takes a sip of his drink. Extra Life is always fucking crazy, right now, Miles is wrestling Kerry to the ground while both are dressed up as girl characters from RWBY. Pretty tame. 

 

Extra Life has come later this year than usual, but Gavin, Jack, and Burnie were given a surprise offer to go to some foreign country for some event. Michael’s alcohol-clouded mind can’t remember exactly where or why, but he does remember Gav being gone for two weeks, and he does remember missing him. 

 

Now, Gavin is back from so far away and sits mere inches to Michael’s left; the urge to fling his arm around Gav’s shoulders or scoot over until they are pressed right up against each other or put his legs on Gavin’s lap or play with Gavin’s hair or make him smile is kind of overwhelming and not easy to resist in any way. Michael has been incredibly deprived of it for the past two weeks and it’s only understandable, right? For Michael to want to be so close to his friend? And he’s drunk, after all, so it’s perfectly excusable if he acts like a lovestruck schoolgirl when he hears Gavin’s laugh. 

 

Because that’s what normal friends do.

 

He notices that he's been staring at said friend for longer than is usually normal with an intensity that is  _ almost _ inexcusable. He looks away and takes a sip of his beer, looking at the floor. He glances back at Gavin, who is now staring back. Michael holds his gaze, and Gavin smiles and giggles. The sound prompts Michael’s own smile to appear. Unable to restrain himself, he puts his arm around Gavin’s shoulders and moves closer so they are right next to each other. This sparks a warm feeling in Michael’s stomach, and he closes his eyes and sighs. “Hey Gav.” He murmurs. 

 

Gavin leans his head against Michael’s head. “Hi Micool.” He responds softly with a British lilt that always alters his words in the nicest way. Michael knows that this will go viral all over the community as soon as somebody releases the gifs on Tumblr or Twitter or Instagram or something. It's probably been done.  _ Fuck the shippers. We’re just friends, so it's  _ **_nothing._ ** _ Besides, I love Lindsay. I do.  _

 

A few feet away, Jack presses refresh on his laptop and smiles, prompting the camera to switch to a direct view of him. He then chuckles, but speaks through his fit though it is interrupted by sporadic giggles. “So if we hit a good $200,000, there is a very special prize. We get to see our very own Michael and Gavin give each other a cheeky little kiss. But it won’t on the cheek.” 

 

Michael lifts his head, and his arm slides off of Gavin’s shoulders. “Hold up. What?” Gavin looks urgently over to Jack in anticipation of the answer to Michael’s question. 

 

Jack is apparently  _ very _ fucking amused. “You two have to kiss each other on the lips for a total of ten seconds - as long as Lindsay is okay with it.” Lindsay isn't there yet - she is set to come on in an hour or two, but for now, remains at home. 

 

Michael takes his phone out and immediately texts Lindsay. 

 

**Michael: Hey Lindsay. Fucking Extra Life has a goal of $200,000 and if they get it fucking GAVIN and I have to kiss are you okay with it??**

 

Michael hopes for a no but he also knows Lindsay. She responds just a few seconds later. 

 

**Lindsay: HELL YES I AM WAIT A MINUTE I HAVE WATCH THIS OMG IM LOGGING INTO THE WEBSITE**

 

Michael considers the merits of deleting the text but Barbara was reading over his shoulders and now he has no freedom. Gavin was, too, and he doesn't want to hurt Gavin's feelings by accident either. 

 

“Lindsay said yes!” Barbara shouts, and Gavin looks at Michael nervously. At the moment, the donations amount to $197,876, which is good reason to panic. Donations are now flooding in at a scary rate, and the number is continuously going up. Michael stands up, and Gavin follows. He notices how Gavin is also half a head taller, and is annoyed. 

 

Gavin splutters at Jack. “B-but he’s my best mate!”

 

Michael adds on. “Yeah, we’re just friends!” Michael’s voice cracks on ‘friends’. He looks at Gavin, his friend, and his resolve falters but he looks away because he doesn't want to kiss Gavin. 

 

R-right? 

 

Jacks laughs. “Matt and Jeremy did it. You're gonna let those two beat you?” This silences Gavin’s continual splutters. 

 

He looks again, and Gavin looks back. The look in his eyes is a little afraid. But Michael sees some unknown emotions swirling in his eyes as well, and a feeling erupts inside him. Nervous butterflies, or maybe warm fuzziness like he felt before. 

 

He thinks of how nice it was to be close to Gav, and suddenly a thought spawns. 

 

_ I'm gonna do this. Not even for the kids - just for once, I'm gonna do something for myself. _

 

Michael grabs Gavin’s collar and drags his face down to his, and their lips meet.

 

They are warm. Chills run all down his back. Michael lets go of Gavin’s collar, and thoughtlessly wraps his arms around Gavin’s neck. He feels a hand slide up his back. 

 

Michael barely hears the wolf whistles coming at them from all around the room. He just focuses on Gavin. His fingertips buzz, and he can't summon a single thought except -  _ fuck, friends don't do this. _

 

They finally break apart, and Michael drops his hands. Gavin’s hand falls off his back, and both of them turn away blushing furiously. There is silence, and then Jack speaks up. 

 

“You do know we haven't actually hit $200,000 yet?” 

 

Michael blushes harder. “I - uh - just wanted to get it out of the way?”

 

Barbara smirks. “Didn't seem like you were in much of a hurry. You guys were all over each other for another 5 seconds than was needed.” Gavin opens his mouth to respond, but he ends up squeaking and then closes his mouth. 

 

Michael’s phone, which sits on the couch, buzzes. He goes over to it, and picks it up with dread pooling in his stomach. As he knows, it's from Lindsay. 

 

**Lindsay: Michael**

 

**Michael: Yeah**

 

**Lindsay: We should probably talk about this**

 

**Michael: Not here**

 

**Lindsay: Do you want to come home now or wait until later**

 

**Michael: I'm gonna come home in a second**

 

And he shuts off his phone.

 

By now, the stream has gone on to the next thing and Blaine is doing fifty push-ups with Jon on top of him, all the while taking selfies. Most of the crew is crowded around the two cheering them on or hopping into pictures, but a few people are sitting and drinking or talking. Gavin is across the room, talking quietly with Jack.

 

Michael walks over to the two and they both quickly stop talking. He says, “I have to go.” to Jack. For a moment, his eyes meet Gavin’s, and then they look away and Michael walks off the set. He calls an Uber and the ride home is spent staring out the window, thinking and thinking of all the words he has to say to make her understand, to make himself understand. Because there’s so many words - kind ones, sad ones, confused ones, ones that have always, always, been there. Lying just beneath the surface, waiting for him to be brave enough to look and see what they have to say. 

 

**Michael and Lindsay’s House - Saturday, December 17th, 12:23 AM, 2016**

 

When he arrives at his house, he pays and then gets out and stares at his home for a little while, afraid to go inside. His wife is there, surely waiting and filled with worry and confusion. He tries to think about what he plans to tell her. 

 

Finally he gathers the courage to approach the house, and he slowly opens the door. Lindsay is sitting at the kitchen counter, staring at her phone. She doesn’t pick up her head, so she’s either incredibly upset or doesn’t know she’s home. Or both. Michael sends a quick text -  **home** \- to her, and she turns around to see him standing in the middle of their living room. He is lost, even though everything around him is so familiar. 

 

“Hi,” He says, voice unusually soft. 

 

“Hi.” Lindsay responds, and the normal jubilance of her voice is sapped out from her tone like it never should be. Michael just wants to fix it, fix them, fix her - but it doesn’t mean he wants to fix it to be the same. 

 

He drops his keys on the coffee table (the one they bought together, when they moved in, and the one they spent hours assembling as well) and joins her in the kitchen. All the house is dark, except for the light switched on above the counter. Michael slides into the seat directly opposite her, and awaits his wife’s verdict. She should be the first one to speak. 

 

Lindsay draws in a breath, eyes that had been previously pointing down flicking up to meet Michael’s own gaze. “I’ve thought about this, and I think you have too. So I’m going to let you speak first, and I won’t talk unless you ask me a question. When you’re done, I’ll speak, and you won’t talk unless I ask you a question. Because we both have a lot to say.” 

 

How is it Lindsay knows exactly what he needs? 

 

Michael rubs his thumb across his index his index finger before he begins. 

 

“Before I, uh, really get into what I wanna say, I just need you to know that you are my best friend in this world, and I will never be able to put it into the right words that I think that you’re amazing. I love to spend my time with you. You’re my match in so many ways, and all I want is to make you happy. I really want you to know that. But I - I, uh, have made a really big fucking mistake.” Michael shifts in his seat.

 

“When we first met, I understood you immediately. And you understood me. And we got along so well, it was like it was meant to be. Because it is. But I - in my head, when we first met, what I thought was, ‘wow, this girl is so cool’. And my brain told me, ‘don’t you love her? You should love her. She’s a girl, and you like girls, and she’s a really great girl.’ And I convinced myself that I was in love with you. And you loved me back, and we dated, and got engaged, and got married. And I love you, Lindsay, I love you so much - but I don’t think I’m even - even capable of loving girls in that way.” He looks down and exhales slowly. 

 

“You mean so much to me, Lindsay, but I fucked it all up. I brought it to this point, even though I - I - I don’t love you in the same way. I don’t love you like you deserve. You deserve better, Lindsay. You deserve a lot of things I can’t give you.”

 

“And I fucked up, even beyond this. When I met Gavin-” Even the mention of his name brings the warm feeling back - “When I met him, I connected to him in a way like we did. Instantly. Perfectly. And I thought, ‘wow, this guy is so cool and I really, really like him’ and my brain said, ‘aren’t you friends? You should be friends. Because he’s a guy, and you like girls, and he’s a really great guy.’ And I convinced myself that he was my friend. But he’s - he’s not. I can’t help what I feel about him. He stole my heart one day, and I can’t just take it back.”

 

“What I’m trying to say is that I love you, but I can’t love you the same way I love Gavin. I’m not capable of it. I can’t like girls, no matter how hard I try. And I tried really hard. I mixed up platonic feelings for romantic ones, and romantic feelings for platonic ones, because I’m fucking stupid sometimes. You’re my best friend, Lindsay, my best friend ever, and I never want to give you up. I still want to hang out with you, I want to continue being friends. I don’t want to lose you. But I can’t love you in that way, and you deserve somebody who does.” Michael finishes, and looks back up at her to gauge her reaction. 

 

She is staring at the counter, biting her lip. She isn’t crying, but she’s sure as hell not smiling either. He waits for her to say something, hoping that she understands. He knows her, and knows she can understand. But it’s mostly a question of whether she wants to understand, rather than being able to. 

 

It’s a while before she says anything. “Okay.” The single word brings unbelievable relief to Michael. His tense shoulders relax. She continues. “I understand what you’re saying. And I’m not happy, but I’m not angry, either. I - I just don’t get it. I really thought you loved me like that. You cried at our wedding!” She pauses. “Oh, god, you cried at our wedding.” Michael looks down again. He wants to speak, but it’s her turn. 

 

She takes a minute to collect herself, and starts again. “My- my dad used to say that the greatest love is inconvenient. I guess you really took that to the extreme, didn’t you?” She smiles weakly, and Michael doesn’t feel quite as awful. 

 

“You and Gavin have my blessing. You’re my best friend too, Michael, and I just want you to be happy. And like you said - I deserve somebody who loves me the same way. Nothing less. As long as you don’t just disappear from my life, I’m okay with this.” Michael gives a sigh of relief, and smiles gratefully up at this amazing woman. 

 

He speaks, even if he probably shouldn’t. “Out of everyone that I could have married by mistake, I’m glad that it’s someone as amazing as you.” She gives a soft chuckle. There is silence for a moment. 

 

Michael stands up. “So… is that it?” 

 

Lindsay stands up too. “Yeah. It’s over.” 

 

Michael’s not sure if this means the conversation or the relationship, but most likely it means both. 

 

He can’t help but feel immense relief, and hugs her. “Thank you so much for understanding, Lindsay.” 

 

She hums in his ear. “It’s the least I can do.” 

 

**RT Office - Tuesday, December 20th, 4:56 PM, 2016 - The Day Before Winter Break**

 

Michael packs up his stuff and prepares to head home for the day. Well, as close to home as he can get - he’s staying at Geoff’s. 

 

He figured it’s probably a good idea to have some time apart from Lindsay, and she agreed. They also agreed that it wouldn’t be a good idea to live together anymore, what with Gavin coming over all the time -  _ if he does come over all the time,  _ his pessimistic mind reminds him. 

 

The only person at the office who knows about the separation outside of Lindsay and Michael is Geoff, Matt, and Burnie. Because they kinda have to. Otherwise, nobody else will be told until the whole thing is figured out. The fans will not know for a very long while. 

 

Despite the fact that the separation is mutual, and the divorce will be done with a good nature and friendly attitudes, and Michael and Lindsay are still friends, Geoff and Griffon insist upon fretting over Michael. Making sure he’s okay, telling him that he always has a place to stay, that him and Lindsay are in good hands. 

 

And besides Michael and Lindsay, nobody knows how Michael feels about Gavin. But by the way Jack looks at the two of them in the Achievement Hunter office, it’s clear he knows that something is going on. 

 

Although how, Michael doesn’t know, since Michael and Gavin have been nothing but polite to each other. Which doesn’t really sound like a problem, except for the fact of how indubitably truthful that statement is - they have been  _ nothing but polite  _ to each other. And that’s not what Michael wants to break up with his wife for. Fucking politeness. 

 

When Michael came into the office Monday morning, he intended to speak to Gavin. But when he arrived at his desk, Gavin didn’t say hello to him, didn’t smile at him, didn’t even glance at him. And Michael didn’t want to know what words would come out of Gavin’s mouth if he tried to engage with him. So he settled with, “Hi, Gavin.” 

 

The cold, “Hi, Michael” He got in return sounded nothing like the way he was used to hearing it. In fact, it was the first time he had ever heard Gavin utter his name so coldly. No complete fuckups of the pronunciation (“Hi, Micoo!”) and no silly additions (“Hi, Michael, my boi!”) and no warm, almost adoring tone (A low, quiet, “Hi, Michael” where you can hear Gavin’s smile). 

No, none of that. Michael barely survived yesterday, and left the office absolutely miserable. Geoff and Griffin fretted over him all night, but he didn’t tell them what was going on. He went to work today with the same attitude, and when he came in he didn’t say a thing - just sat down, set his bag on the floor, put on his headphones, and got to work. 

 

It’s the end of the day today, and he’s glad for the end of the tentious conversation and forced silences between them. It feels so wrong, so unnatural - he wants to be with Gavin, so much it hurts, and he can’t have that. He almost wishes that they never kissed, but then Michael would never have realized how he felt. But the coldness he gets in return shuts him down. 

 

And yet, every time they talk, or look at each other, or accidentally brush by each other, it sends chills down Michael’s back, and his insides feel warm. The desire to go over and hug him, hold him, kiss him, just  _ be with him  _ is completely and utterly overwhelming. 

 

And he just cannot fucking take it any longer. 

 

He gathers up his things quickly, and stalks over to Gavin’s desk. Gavin, who is still working, looks up at him with wide eyes. Michael mimes taking off his headphones, and Gavin follows suit, leaving his headphones around his neck. Obviously he doesn’t anticipate engaging in this conversation for long, or else he would have put them down on the desk like he does normally. That’s going to change. 

 

“Are you planning on working late?” Michael asks, surprised at the strength his voice holds. 

 

Gavin responds. “No, I was, uh, just finishing up. Why do you ask?”

 

Michael looks around. The only people left in the office are Geoff and Jack, both wearing headphones, but are most likely still listening. “I need to talk to you for a minute. Can you come with me outside?” 

Gavin still seems befuddled, but he places his headphones on the desk and Michael feels a surge of satisfaction. He turns off his Xbox and his computer, and gathers up his things while Michael stands by (a touch closer than perhaps somebody else would). When he’s done, he looks at Michael quizzically, and so Michael begins to walk out with Gavin close behind. 

 

When they reach the outside, nobody is in the parking lot. This is probably because of the weather - there’s a bad cold snap going on currently, so the temperature is in the mid-twenties. Everyone is miserable about it, and especially since it has started snowing softly, nobody wants to be outside. Except, of course, for Michael. 

 

Michael leans against the building, and Gavin stands next to him, at this point completely bewildered. “Why did you bring me out here?” His voice is a bit irritated, and causes Michael to look at Gavin closely. His eyes look guarded and unsure at the same time. Snowflakes cling to his eyelashes. The cold is causing a slight blush to appear on his cheeks, and the rest of his skin looks unusually pale. 

 

Michael sighs. “I needed to talk to you, like I said.” He pauses, and Gavin does not say anything. “Well, um, the first thing I should say is that Lindsay and I are, uh, no longer together.” 

 

He sees the shock in Gavin’s eyes first, and then the understanding, and then the guilt. He crosses his arms across his chest, and curls in on himself a bit. It’s clear he thinks it’s his fault (and it is, but not in the way he thinks). 

 

He murmurs a soft, “I’m sorry, Micool.” The way he says Michael’s name is no longer cold, and this causes Michael to smile. He stops leaning and takes a step closer to Gavin. 

 

“No, it’s okay. It’s a mutual decision. Lindsay and I are still on really good terms, we just… aren’t together anymore.” 

 

Gavin looks down at the ground. Once again, he speaks softly. “And I suppose that’s my fault, isn’t it.” 

 

“Of course it is.” This causes Gavin to look up at him in surprise. Michael continues. “I can’t be with Lindsay if I’m in love with you.” 

 

The words sound good coming out of his mouth. Like they’re meant to be there. 

 

Gavin doesn’t respond. There is still only shock and surprise, filling up his eyes. It seems he is frozen. 

 

Michael waves his hand in front of Gavin’s face. “Hello? Earth to Gavin? Are you there?” There is a lot of fear and worry inside him, because he doesn’t know how Gavin’s going to respond, and - and Meg! He forgot about Meg, he was so wrapped up in his own problems. Gavin and Meg are together, and have been, and will be. He stops waving his hand in front of Gavin’s face. He closes his eyes, and exhales slowly. 

 

A beat passes, and then suddenly Michael and Gavin are kissing again. Just for a moment - so quickly, Michael isn’t sure it’s happened. Warm lips pressed against his, a perfect fit. Michael opens his eyes again, and spots a sheepish Gavin in front of him. 

Michael splutters for a moment. “But - but - but Meg!” 

 

Gavin blushes. “We’ve been apart for a while now, I think. We started to lose the romance a little - it just started to slip away from us, I guess. She wanted to get engaged and I really didn’t, and it just made us both sad and angry. It was actually a big part of the reason why she chose modeling instead of staying on at Rooster Teeth, and then that led into me breaking up with her because she wasn’t at Rooster Teeth anymore. Just a spiral that kept going down until it hit bottom, I suppose. We’re still on speaking terms, though.” 

 

Michael blanks. “Why didn’t you tell me?” 

 

Gavin shrugs. “I was a bit scared, to be honest, and didn’t want to go through the fuss and the trouble. What’s done is done, and I don’t regret it.” He looks at Michael, and blushes harder. “I really don’t regret it.” 

 

Michael smiles, and reaches out to interlace their fingers. “Neither do I.” He chuckles. “For the kids, right?” 

 

Gavin shakes his head. “Nah. This time, for us.” And they have their third kiss, underneath the snow. Gavin cards his hand through Michael’s curls, and the other is on his back just like the first time. Michael loops an arm around Gavin’s neck and one finds his waist. They don’t mind the snow, not really. Besides, they have each other to keep themselves warm. 

 

**Michael and Gavin’s House - Saturday, December 16th, 10:43 PM, 2017**

 

It’s snowing outside again. But inside, it’s warm and pleasant and very lovely. 

 

Gavin looks over at Michael, studying his features carefully. He can’t believe that Michael is finally his. Has been his for a year. 

 

It always seemed like it would never happen. All of it was just some far-fetched dream from Gavin’s wildest fantasies - and then Gavin would wake up, a gnawing feeling in his stomach, telling him it would never be. But then, somehow, it was. 

 

They’re lying together on the couch, watching TV because they’ve gotten a bit too tired to play video games. It’s not very late considering their standards, but the two of them are a bit jet-lagged from the trip they took to England recently. It was one of Gavin’s standard returns home to visit his family and film some Slo Mo Guys, but ever since Michael and Gavin got together, Michael’s accompanied him. It’s made the trips much more enjoyable (especially since Michael falls asleep on Gavin’s shoulder during plane rides). 

 

They aren’t really paying attention to whatever Christmas movie is playing for the billionth time. Instead, Michael is telling Gavin all about his day - specifically, meeting up with Lindsay for coffee. This is a somewhat regular occurrence for the two of them, who remain close friends. Perhaps even closer than before. It makes Gavin happy to know that Lindsay and Michael are still on good terms, and that Lindsay has met somebody new who lives up to Michael’s standards. Which, some might say, are unreasonably high. 

 

Gavin takes Michael’s hand in his own, and scoots a bit closer so he can lean his head on Michael’s shoulder. Michaels fakes a yawn, and then puts his arm around Gavin. He giggles - even though they’ve been together for so long, Michael still pulls these silly stunts. Gavin nuzzles a little bit closer and hums into Michael’s neck. 

 

It’s been a year since they kissed for the first time. An entire year since Gavin’s world was shattered and rebuilt in a heartbeat. He smiles in reminiscence. Michael notices. “What are you smiling about, idiot?” 

 

Gavin grins a bit wider. “It’s a year today that we kissed for the first time, you tosh pot.” Michael chuckles, and looks back at the TV screen. 

 

“Is it? To be honest, I thought our first kiss was when I told you how I felt. The Extra Life one was just… practice.” 

 

Gavin snorts. “More like a trigger for a massive gay freakout.” This summons another laugh from Michael. 

 

“You’re not wrong.” 

 

“Well, I think this was our first one. I certainly think it was a great kiss, even though we were forced to do it.” Michael hums before responding with a wicked smile. 

 

“You think that was great? I’ll show you great.” And suddenly, they’re kissing again, Michael on top of Gavin. 

 

Gavin smiles against Michael’s lips. He’s so lucky that he’s in love with his best friend, who loves him back unequivocally. He’s so lucky that he is surrounded by people who could not be more wonderful if they tried. He’s so lucky that every dream of his has come true. He’s so lucky that this is his life. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
